“All right! I managed to successfully die in battle…! Now I’m freeeeeeeeeeeee!”
In the ruins of a battlefield in Bertrandt, in the eastern reaches of the Ford Continent…a boy with dark hair and eyes—Rix Frestat—cried out in joy.
He was in his mid-teens, slightly taller than average, and had a fairly toned physique covered with old scars.
From his unwavering stance, the tattered leather armor covering his body, and the one-handed sword hanging at his hip, one could tell he wasn’t just some innocent youth.
And he wasn’t. This boy, Rix, was a mercenary.
He was an ace attacker in the Black Mercenary Corps, the most powerful and infamous fighting group in the Eastern Conflict Zone.
“I’ve gotta say…that was quite the realistic performance I put on back there.”
Rix thought back on what he had just accomplished.
That’s right—he had been “killed in action.”
Rix had taken up the rear guard to help his mercenary comrades, who had been stationed on the battlefield in Bertrandt, escape the pursuit of enemy forces. Clutching a bomb to his body, he’d ultimately carried out a suicide attack on the enemy lines.
And just like that, he’d died in the explosion…or more precisely, he’d pretended to.
Bomb blasts were no big deal as long as you dug a hole to take cover in beforehand.
“‘Everyone, keep on living your lives to the fullest, for my sake.’ ‘Captain, thank you for everything.’ ‘As my final act, let me repay you for all you’ve done for me.’ My comrades were in tears as I spoke my last words… ‘Don’t do it, you idiot!’ ‘Come back!’ ‘Stop!’ they told me… Heh-heh-heh…”
Turns out Rix was kind of a dick.
“But, Captain, everyone—I had to do this. After all, I have a goal that I just can’t give up on.”
Rix gazed up at the sky with a devilish look on his face.
“That’s right…I’m quitting being a mercenary to become a wizard! Why, you may ask? Because being a merc is real rough, and it’s all downhill from heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!”
The boy cried out from deep in his soul.
“So I don’t wanna do this anymore—this life where day after day I don’t know if I’m going to live or die! On top of that, mercenaries can’t exactly get married, can they?! Who could even imagine a future with someone who might die any day? And that’s totally understandable! I wouldn’t want that, either, dammit! But when I opened up about these worries to the captain, that bastard just handed me some money, gave me a huge smile and a thumbs-up, and told me, ‘Get yourself to a brothel!’ No way in hell! I only wanna do that kind of thing with the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life wiiiiiiiith!”
Turns out Rix was a bit obsessed, in a creepy way.
“So that’s why I’m quitting being a mercenary! Today, I say goodbye to the Black Mercenary Corps and its motto: ‘Welcome those who come our way, but chase those who try to leave to the ends of hell’! I’m gonna become a wizard! And luckily, I’ve got an in!”
As a matter of fact, being a mage was the most marketable profession out there.
Mages proficient in all kinds of magic worked actively in every possible field—politics, economics, research, entertainment, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, and so on.
On top of that, mages had a high standing in society, which came with its own variety of privileges and benefits.
This was in stark contrast to mercenaries, who didn’t even know if they’d live to see tomorrow.
“Farewell, Captain… Farewell, everyone in the corps… I’m off to become a wizard. As a mage, I’ll have nothing to do with any blood-soaked battlefields. I’ll find myself a cute wife and lead a fun and peaceful life. And in the end, I’ll die in my nice warm bed, surrounded by my grandchildren. Farewell…”
With that, Rix turned on his heel, making to put the ruins of the battlefield behind him for good. But at that very moment…he sensed someone approaching and quickly hid behind a nearby rock.
When he cautiously peeked out to see who it was…
“Rix! Riiiiiiiiix!”
A dozen or so armed figures, led by a tough-looking, muscular man, were wandering aimlessly around the ruins of the battlefield, searching for something.
“What…? It’s Captain Black…and the rest of…the Black Mercenary Corps…?!”
Rix stared wide-eyed at his comrades as he listened in on their conversation.
“Rix! Please! If you’re alive out there, please respond! Riiix!”
“Captain, it’s no good… You saw what happened, didn’t you? In his last moments…”
“After an explosion like that, we probably won’t be finding anything but bone fragments… Sniff…”
“That Rix… Acting so reckless…for all our sakes…!” The tough, muscular man—Captain Black—broke down into tears on the spot. “Rix! You idiot! Why did you have to die?! You think you have the nerve to go and die before me?! Uwaaaaaaagh!”
There wasn’t a soul in the eastern continent who didn’t know the name of Captain Black of the Black Mercenary Corps, the strongest mercenary alive.
With his usual hearty demeanor, he was often seen boldly guffawing about something or other with a drink in his hand. No one would imagine such a man collapsing into tears like this.
But now he was bawling in grief over Rix’s death.
Seeing Captain Black in this state, Rix couldn’t help but feel his heart ache.
“C-Captain…”
Ever since he’d taken in the orphaned Rix three years earlier, Black had truly treated the boy like a son. Rix had learned all sorts of things about being a mercenary from the captain—and from the rest of the corps, too.
To Rix, who didn’t have a single blood relative, they were like one big family.
And in one way or another, it was all thanks to the Black Mercenary Corps that Rix had survived up until now.
What the hell am I doing? Can I really just forget everything I owe them and do something so ungrateful?!
Rix took one step toward his comrades, drawn to them like a magnet as they searched for him.
And when he did, memories of the time he’d spent with the Black Mercenary Corps flashed through his mind scene by scene:
“Wait—Captain?! What do you mean, I have to go and hold off that huge enemy battalion all by myself?!”
“You’ll be fine, Rix! With your abilities, you’ll be able to pull it off! Believe in me, because I believe in you!”
“You’ve gotta be kidding meeeeee! You just decided where to deploy me by a roll of the dice, didn’t you?!”
Memories of the unreasonable requests he’d been constantly undertaking.
“C-Captain?! What the hell were you thinking, using up all the corps’ funds in one night?!”
“Heh… Last night, if I hadn’t offered it all to my little Arietta, I would have lost everything. But thanks to that, it was the best night of my life…! I don’t have a single regret! Gwa-ha-ha!”
“You sex-crazed asshole!”
“You’re stiff as always, Rix. But it’s fine. We can always earn more money by taking out some enemies.”
“Screw you!”
Memories of the absurd situations he’d been constantly subjected to.
“Waaaait! Riiiiix! Don’t run awaaaaay!”
“Today, you really gotta come with us to the brothel!”
“It’s time to give up your virginity already! Come on, do yourself a favor!”
“Aaaaargh! That’s none of your business, you idioooots!”
Memories of the constant foolish quarrels with his comrades.
“Heeeey! Why did you have to go and eat all my food, too?! Just when do you think the next ration supply is?! Do you want me to die?!”
“Brother, bein’ a mercenary is all about survival of the fittest! It’s your fault for lettin’ your guard down!” (smirk)
“I guess I’ll just have to eat you, you little brat!”
Memories of his young protégée, who was like a little sister to him, constantly pushing him to the brink of starvation.
“Captain! Captain! How did we end up fighting to the death with this mysterious group of assassins in our own camp?!”
“Heh… No clue! The possibilities are endless!”
“You bastard! Quit messing around!”
“Come on, if you’ve got time to run your mouth, you’ve got time to kill one more enemy. Otherwise, you’ll be the one to get killed!”
“Aaaaargh! As if I’d die like thiiiiis!”
The constant scenes of carnage.
Nostalgic memories flashed through Rix’s mind one after another.
“Yeah…I think I really am done being a mercenary.”
That was his conclusion.
It was the only answer, and a simple one.
He’d begun to take a step back toward his comrades but stopped dead in his tracks.
And then Rix again turned on his heel where he stood.
““““RIIIIIIIIIIIX!””””
With his comrades’ lamentations at his back, he steeled his expression and left the battlefield behind.
And thus, the young mercenary, Rix, set off for a new world to become a wizard.
No hesitation, no regrets.